EAGLES: Kelly: My job is to win right now

Chip Kelly was introduced as the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles at a press conference in January after being introduced at Eagles Novacare training facility in Philadelphia. (Eric Hartline/21st Century Media)

The major difference between the NFL and BCS football, which Eagles head coach Chip Kelly dominated, is the competition. No NFL franchise wins 87 percent of its games, as Kelly did the past four years at Oregon with a frenetic, explosive, no-huddle attack.

“Do we expect to go 46-7 over the next whatever years? No,” Kelly said recently after ripping himself away from an evaluation of the third-down offense of Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins. “I know it’s extremely difficult to win in this league. You just look at everybody’s record over the history of the game. It is a different game from that standpoint. But that’s part of it. That’s the challenge.

“You look at it and kind of embrace it.”

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When Kelly gets away from that reality check, he’s generally embraced by Eagles fans hungry to win. They’ve said hello, waved to him and even asked for autographs on his daily jogs through the neighborhood surrounding the NovaCare Complex.

Kelly returns from those runs through the front gate, which is just across the street from the banners fans held urging management to fire then-head coach Andy Reid.

Reid was dismissed earlier this year after missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the only time in his 14-year tenure. He left with 140 victories, including 10 in the playoffs, and a 58.3 percent winning percentage. The Eagles turned the page on Reid with a 4-12 finish that concluded with a brutal 30-17 loss to the New York Giants.

Kelly’s job is to put the pieces back together. Rebuilding isn’t in his vocabulary, even if it appears the Eagles are doing just that.

“My job is to win right now,” Kelly said. “How do you think I’d be received in Philly if I told them we were going to write off this year? Those people that are waving to me on the streets right now, that isn’t going to happen. But that’s never been my mentality, either. We’re not writing anything off. We’re going out there to compete and see how it falls. If I went in the locker room and said this is going to be a really good year for us to get for the following year, that’s not going to work. No one has a mindset like that.”

With training camp less than two weeks away, Kelly’s plan is for all of the players to bunk in a nearby hotel after spending their afternoons practicing largely at the NovaCare Complex.

“That’s when we play,” Kelly said. “Twelve or 14 of our 16 games are played at 1 o’clock.”

The biggest position battle for the Eagles is at quarterback, where veteran Michael Vick, who has 56 NFL victories, takes on Nick Foles, who in six starts has beaten only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While Kelly has downplayed the competition and resisted all urges to name a starter, it is a big deal. Eagles fans know that as their quarterback goes, so goes their season.

Kelly’s mantra is to “treat everybody differently, just treat them fairly.” The quarterback competition will test that.

“We’re going to name a starter at some point in time,” Kelly said. “That’s why I think it would be unfair right now because there hasn’t been enough situations to evaluate. If someone said, ‘Hey, we have to play a game tomorrow,’ then we have to make a decision. But we don’t have to play a game tomorrow. We have until Sept. 9.

“I don’t think the positives of making an early decision outweigh making sure we make the right decision.”

Kelly, who grew up in Vermont, is every bit as eager to see which quarterback earns the spot as the fans who greet him on the street. Though he didn’t specify the nature of the fan interaction on those jogging expeditions, the grin on his face told you it was creative.

“The fans in Philly tell you a lot of things,” Kelly said. “It’s a very interesting town. They’ve been great. It’s obvious they’re extremely passionate about the Eagles. That’s evident no matter where you go. It’s been awesome. But we haven’t played a game yet either, so that could change.”

Eagles ownership, lest we forget, is wagering $32.5 million that Charles “Chip” Kelly can mold the franchise into a perennial contender much like he did at Oregon. They’ve given him five years to do the job.

Was Kelly the first choice of Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie? Reports are Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M was offered the job in Philly. Bill O’Brien of Penn State also was a strong candidate. Like Kelly, both are offensive-minded guys.

In addition to up-tempo football, Kelly has brought ear-numbing music to practice, post-practice protein shakes and all-day long nutrition concepts here from Eugene, Oregon.

Speaking of which, there’s still the question about whether Kelly bailed on the Ducks because of potentially crippling NCAA sanctions. The crippling was greatly exaggerated. The Ducks are on probation for three years with a modest reduction in scholarships due to recruiting service violations. They’re still bowl-eligible. Oh, and Kelly essentially is on probation from coaching BCS ball for 18 months.

The Eagles are hoping whatever Kelly has rubs off on them.

Kelly is confident it can happen because without having to recruit there’s a heck of a lot more time to devote to preparation. And, well, football is football.

“It’s always been football,” Kelly said. “That’s what it is. The only difference is that obviously the season is longer and the size of your roster is different. But the game of football is still the same. It’s still 11-on-11 and us going out there and preparing and being more fresh and ready to play than the other team.”